William l



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

W. L. G. APPLEBY. MAIL GATCHING'AND DELIVBRING APPARATUS.

Patented/Aug. 17

. wifgzsse 2 Sheets- Sheet 2.

W. L. GAPPLEBY. MAIL GATGHING AND DELIVERING APPARATUS. No. 588,310.

Patented Aug. 17

-Hdifgesses UNITED. STATES 'PATENT Fries..

XVILLIAM L. Gr. APPLEBY, OF GERMANTOWN, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO HORACE W. BENNETT, OF SAME PLACE.

MAIL cAToHlNe AND DELIVERING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 588,310, dated August 17, 1897. Application filed February 4, 1897. Serial No. 622.040. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.- Be it known thatI, WILLIAM L. G.APPLEBY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Germantown, in the county of Montgomery and State of Maryland, have invented a new and useful Mail Catching and Delivering Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. My invention relates to mail catching and deliveringmechanism, and has for its object to provide a simpleand efficient construction and arrangement of parts whereby the usual tilting beam now in common use may be dispensed with to avoid the disadvantages inciden-t to its use, to provide suitable means for adjusting the parts to agree with the direction of movement of the car, and to provide means for preventing the accumulation of ice and snow upon the crane forming part of the car mechanism.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will appear in the following description,and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus embodying my invention applied to a car. Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the car-crane and the contiguous portion of the car. Fig. 3 is a detail view ofthe mail-carrying bow. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the means for holding the'car recei ving-frame in its operative position.y Y

Similar numerals of reference indicate correspondin g parts in 'all the figures of thc`d rawings. y The car mechanism consists of a crane 1, adapted to support a mail-carryin g bow 2 and a mail-receiver 3 to engage a similar bow held by a station-frame. The craney is mounted for rotary movement, the same being preferably tubular with its lower extremity fitted revolubly upon a fixed trunnion fl, rising from .the floor of the car, and the upper extremity of said standardis engaged by amovable trunnion consisting of a pin 5, fitted in an eye or staple 6, secured to the side of the door opening. The object in making the standard hollow or tubular islto provide for introducingv thereinto x a heating agent, such as steam, to maintain'the same at such a temperature as to prevent the accumulation of snow and ice thereon, and hence the trun` nion upon which the-lower extremity of the standard is fitted consists of the extremity of a steam-inlet pipe 7. Packing Sis preferably introduced at the lower end of the standard to insure a suitably-tight iit thereof upon the trunnion, and the upper end .of the tube is closed by a plug 9, set down sufficiently to provide a socket for the reception of the upper pin.

Arranged in connection with the standard of the crane isa clampconsisting of a slightlybowed pressure-platevlO, engaged at its eX- tremities by bolts 11, threaded into perforations in the standard, cushions or resilient devices .being interposed between the heads of the bolts andthe outer surface of the plate to hold the latter yieldingly in its operative position. The heads of said bolts are preferably rounded spherical and are provided with transverse openin gs 12 for rods by which they may be turned.

The detachable bows which are used in connection with the crane are provided with approXimately parallel side arms 13, connected at their eXtremitiesby a cross-bar 14, the outer end of the bow being curved and the side arms being connected by an oppositely-curved brace 15. The bow ispreferably constructed of 'a single blank of 'stout rod or wire, the same being of spring metal, and the cross-bar at the inner end thereof is provided with rounded enlargements 16,'which prevent the accidental outward disengagement of the bow from the clamp. The bow is introduced into the clamp from the inner side, whereby its side arms are frictionally engaged by the clamp, and is pushed out until said enlargements or stops comein contact with the clamp, and in this position the bow is held until disengaged from the clamp by means 'of the stationary mail-receiver 17.

The advantage resulting from the use of a bow which is constructed to form a continuous open frame (the term continuous being employed to express the fact vthat .the frame is closed both at its sides and at its ends) is that mail-bags maybe engagedtherewith 'at any point, thus providing for attaching a plurality of mail-bags to a single bow,

and each mail-bag may be engaged at only one end with the bow, as illustrated in the drawings.

It will be understood that the inail-bags 1S or other packages are attached to the bow by means of clamp-hooks 19, said bags or packages being supported by the fioor of the car. The means for mounting the crane are duplicated at the opposite side ot the door-opening, whereby when returning upon the same route without reversing the car the mail-delivering devices maybe changed to agree with the stationary mail-receiving devices, which ,are arranged at only one side of the track.

The mailreceiving device which is employed upon the car embodies a rock-shaft or spindle 20, mounted in bearings 2l, said spindle being provided with a shoulder 22 to bear against one of the eyes and a pivotal latch 23, arranged in operative relation with one end of the spindle to prevent movement in the opposite direction to that prevented by said shoulder, the latch having an ear 24 to bear against the end of the spindle and a stop-lug 25 to rest upon the upper side of the spindle and hold the latch in place. The spindle carries an arm 26, which is preferably inclined inwardly toward its rear end and is connected with the spindle by aloop 27 for engagement by the bow after the latter has been caught.

In order to prevent disarrangement of the crane when set for engagement by a mail-receiver, I employ an angular enlargement or boss 2S at the lower end of the crane-standard for engagement by a plate-spring 2f).

The station apparatus is practically identical with that above described, except that itis unnecessaryto construct the crane-standard of a hollow or tubular bar. The stationcrane is mounted upon a post 30, which is preferably provided with a platform Si, upon which the mail-pouches are adapted to rest. By allowing the pouches to rest upon the platform after engagement with the bow it will be seen that the latter is relieved of all strain until after engagement by the car receiving devices.

The stationary receiving device consists of a rod 32, preferably reduced at its extremities and mounted at an intermediate point in the bifurcated extremities of standards 33, said rod being provided with collars 31h-which prevent endwise displacement. This receiver is adapted to engage bows carried by the delivering devices of trains moving in either direction.

The axial or rotary movement of the cranestandards provides for the turning thereof to accommodate the direction of strain during the disengagement of the bows.

The means which I have illustrated in the drawings for holding the crane in its operative position include an arm 35 for engagement with a ratchet-bar 36, adapted to be secured to the side of the frame.

Various changes in the form, proportion,

and the minor details of construction maybe resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

I'Iaving described my invention, what I claim isl. In a mail catching and delivering apparatus, a hollow crane, and means for admitting a heating agent, as steam, thereinto to prevent the accumulation of ice and snow thereon, substantially as specified.

2. In a mail catching and delivering device, a crane having a hollow standard, a stationary hollow trunnion upon which the lower extremity of the standard is fitted and with which is connected a steam-supply pipe, and mail-holding devices detachably secured to the standard, substantially as specified.

3. In a mail catching and delivering apparatus, a rotary crane, a mail-receiving bow consisting of an open continuous frame to which a plurality of mail-bags may be attached, and a clamp on the crane for frictionally engaging the bow at one end, substantially as specified.

et. In a mail catching and delivering apparatus, a crane, a clam ping-plate arranged parallel with and contiguous to the crane, and adjusting devices connecting the clampingplate to the crane and adapted to vary the interval therebetween, in combination with a mail-carrying bow adapted to be engaged between said clamping-plate and the crane, substantially as specified.

5. In a mail catching and delivering apparatus, the combination of a crane, a clamping-plate arranged contiguous to the standard of the crane, adj listing-bolts engaging the clamping-plate near its extremities, and resilient cushions interposed between said plate and shoulders on the bolts, with a mail-carrying bow engaged between the clampingplate and the standard, substantially'as speciied.

6. In a mail catching and delivering apparatus, a crane mounted for rotary movement, and a resilient or yielding clamping-plate arranged in operative relation with the standard of the crane, in combination with a mailcarrying bow engaged between the clampingplate and said standard, substantially as specified.

7. In a mail catching and delivering apparatus, the combination of a fixed lower trunnion, a fixed eye above the plane of said trunnion, a crane-standard provided with terminal sockets of which the lower one is engaged with said trunnion, a removable pin fitted in said eye and engaging the socket in the upper end of the standard, and a mail-carrying device detachably mounted upon the cranestandard, substantially as specified.

S. In a mail catching and delivering apparatus, the combination with a crane having a frictional clamping device, of a mail-carrying bow having parallel side arms connected at their inner ends by a cross-bar, said side arms IOO IOS

IIO

being frietionally engaged by the clamping device of the crane, substantially as specified.

9. In a mail-eatellingand delivering apparatus, the combination with a crane having a 5 clamping device, of a mail-carrying bow having side arms connected at their inner ends by a Cross-bar provided with enlargements for engagement with said clamp to prevent accidental disarrangement, substantially as n 1o specified.

10. In a mail catching and delivering apparatus, the combination of a rotary crane.- standard provided with an angular enlargement or boss, a spring arranged in operative relation with said enlargement or boss to hold 15 the standard normally in a predetermined position, a mail-Carrying bow, and means on said 'crane-standard for temporarilyengaging the bow, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 2o my own I have hereto aihxed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM L. G. APPLEBY. Witnesses JOHN H. SIGGERS, HAROLD H. SIMMs. 

